Felipe Contepomi will captain Argentina when they take on Italy in their first Test of the year, against Italy in San Juan on Saturday.

It is Contepomi's 76th cap for Los Pumas and he will line up alongside his Stade Francais colleague Rodrigo Roncero, who wins his 49th Test cap. The veteran prop forms an-all Top 14 front row with Biarritz duo Francisco Gomez-Kodela and hooker Eusebio Guinazu.

Contepomi will partner Gabriel Ascarate and there are also two Aviva Premiership players in the backline. Exeter Chief's Ignacio Mieres starts at fly-half, while Joaquin Tuculet of Sale Sharks will line-up at fullback.

Italy won 13-12 the most recent time the sides played in Argentina in June 2008, but since then Santiago's Phelan's have won the last two fixtures, in November 2008 in Turin and 2010 in Verona.